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Sir Robert Borden
"Our hearts are united in inflexible determination; that the cause for which we have drawn the sword shall be maintained to honour and triumph." ''- Sir Robert Borden '''Sir Robert Laird Borden GCMG KC PC (26, June, 1854 - 10, June, 1937) '''was a British author, diplomat, lawyer, politician and teacher. During his career Borden served as first Minister to the League of Nations, third Minister of Foreign Affairs, twentieth President of His Majesty's Privy Council and eighth Prime Minister of Canada. Borden's administration established the Canadian Expeditionary Force, expanded the Royal British Navy, and practiced economic and military solidarity with the British Empire, deploying the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Russian Revolution and the First World War, and opposing reciprocity with the United States. Borden personally authored ''Resolution IX ''of the ''Imperial War Conference of 1919, introduced the Military Conscription Act of 1917 ''and ''Civil Service Act of 1918,'' lead the Canadian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference and the Washington Naval Conference, and signed the ''Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 ''on behalf of the Dominion of Canada. Biography Early Life Robert Laird Borden was born to Andrew Borden, a farmer and stationmaster, and his wife Eunice (née Laird,) at Grand Pré, Nova Scotia on 26, July, 1854. He was the first of four children, including: Henry, John and Julia, in addition to two half-siblings, Thomas and Sophia. Borden began his education at the local Presbyterian Sunday School, where he developed his English literacy and was immersed in Biblical scripture. In 1863, Robert began attending the Acacia Villa Private Academy at the age of nine under President Arthur Patterson. James Hamilton instructed his studies in arithmetic, grammar, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and natural philosophy. During this period his interest in poetry was piqued, particularly in Augustan literary classics such as Horace and Virgil. Before the age of fourteen Borden was a talented polyglot and voracious reader. Though throughout his childhood Robert toiled on the family farm his dissatisfaction with the profession and his preoccupation with academic pursuits precipitated his decision to pursue a career as an educator, and this prompted his tutor to employ him as assistant instructor at the age of fifteen. He continued his tenure at the Academy for four years, until Hamilton invited him to join the faculty of the Glenwood Institute in New Jersey. Professor at Glenwood Institute In 1873, Borden was employed as a professor of classic literature and mathematics for nine different classes, however, as the school year came to a close he began to reconsider his career and was encouraged by his uncle, a barrister in Ontario, to pursue an education in law. He began to study punctiliously, reading Robert Kerr's edition of the ''Student's Blackstone regularly and applied for apprenticeship at the Weatherbe & Graham Law Firm in Halifax. In 1874, Borden served as an articled clerk, preparing briefs for his superiors and managing the daily affairs of clients. He continued his apprenticeship for four years, preoccupied with intent study and long work days, only diverting his energies to attend the Military Instruction School and make a wage as a volunteer soldier in the 63rd Halifax Rifles Battalion. In September, 1877, Borden completed the provincial bar examination and ranked in the 99th percentile, outdoing his fellow students including future colleague Charles H. Tupper, son of former Prime Minister Sir Charles Tupper. Law Career Borden's first tenure as a lawyer was as a partner in a firm he had founded with a classmate, and shortly thereafter he was employed as a junior partner of John Chipman in Kentville, Nova Scotia. In 1880, he was inducted into the Freemasons St. Andrew's Lodge #1, and within the following year Borden was asked to return to Halifax after Sir John Thompson, a senior partner at the Weatherbe & Graham Law Firm, was promoted to the bench and left a vacancy at the practice. Borden was immediately appointed to a series of cases before the Supreme Court of Ontario, and further connections gained him employment with prominent legal firms in Ottawa as a result of Chipman's ties to Sir John A. MacDonald's conservative government. In 1886, he defended the Dominion's seizure of two American fishing vessels during an international dispute over fishing rights in the North Atlantic. Following Graham's appointment to the court in 1889, Borden became the senior partner at the Weatherbe & Graham Law Firm, and subsequently refused an invitation to join the conservative cabinet as Minister of Justice. At this time in his career Borden owned one of the most prominent practices in Nova Scotia, boasting such clients as the Bank of Nova Scotia, Canada Atlantic Steamship, Nova Scotia Telephone and several smaller businesses within the province. In 1893, Borden brought a case before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, successfully presenting his case in two court appearances, and his increasing prominence drew the interest of Prime Minister Sir John Thompson who soon became close associate. Over the following three years Borden's practice had become one of the largest in the province and his political ties had advanced his success. By 1896 Borden had been elected President of the Nova Scotia Barrister's Society and took part in founding the Canadian Bar Association in Montreal. Political Career On 26, April, 1896, Borden accepted a nomination for his leadership of the conservative party by incumbent Prime Minister Sir Charles Tupper. Family & Personal Life Family In 1886, Borden met Laura Bond at St. Paul's Anglican Church where she played the organ and he was a regular attendee. The two had no children, but reportedly led a fulfilled marriage in which they held common interests and spent a great deal of time together. Robert and Laura enjoyed golf, tennis and water sports, occasionally toured Britain and Europe and lived in a large manor with a great deal of property on Quinpool Rd., dubbed 'Pinehurst' by the Bordens. During Borden's professorship at Glenwood Institute, he frequently traveled to New York City to visit his half-brother Thomas. Accompanied by Thomas, his wife, and a colleague, Borden attended temperance lectures and frequented local galleries, libraries, museums and parks in the city. He was also a member of the debating society of the fraternal Young Christians Association and frequently congregated with the companions of St. Andrew's Lodge of British Templars, beginning his lifelong involvement in secret European fraternal societies. Religion Since his childhood Borden had been invested in his faith, attending Christian private academies, joining Christian fraternal organizations, learning to recite Biblical scripture and maintaining lifelong membership in the congregation of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Trivia * Borden was multilingual and fluent in English, French, Greek, Hebrew and Latin.